Amazon news and archive

Amazon triples quarterly profit as cloud, ads and retail businesses thrive

E-commerce titan Amazon on Tuesday said profit in the first three months of 2024 tripled. Amazon shares were up about one percent in after-market trades that followed release of the earnings figures, with Wall Street keeping a close eye on the impact of AI as well as costs involved. "It was a good start to the year across the business," Amazon...

Retail

Amazon Purr-rime: Cat accidentally shipped to online retailer

A curious cat that sneaked into an open box was shipped across the United States to an Amazon warehouse after its unknowing owners sealed it inside. Carrie Clark's pet, Galena, vanished from her Utah home on April 10, sparking a furious search that involved plastering "missing" posters around the neighborhood. But a week later, a vet hundreds of...

Retail

Italy fines Amazon over 'recurring' purchase option

Italy's competition authority said Wednesday it had fined two Amazon companies 10 million euros (10.6 million dollars) for unfair commercial practices that push customers into agreeing to "recurring" rather than "one-time" purchases online. The AGCM said the option to set up regular purchases was "pre-selected by default" on a wide selection of...

Business

Amazon Live launches shoppable channel on Prime Video and Freevee

Amazon is bringing its ‘Amazon Live’ interactive and shoppable livestreams to Prime Video and Amazon Freevee, meaning that customers can browse, shop, and engage with content they're watching on the TV screen by using their mobile devices. Previously Amazon Live streams were only available on desktop, mobile, and Fire TV, the new FAST (free...

Business

Amazon to invest 700 million euros in European robotics and AI

Amazon is leveraging its Innovation Lab, a diverse team of scientists and engineers from around the globe, to pioneer new technologies aimed at enhancing support for employees and improving customer satisfaction. Situated in Vercelli, Italy, the Amazon Operations Innovation Lab is shaping the trajectory of work across Amazon's network where...

Retail

Clinique launches on the Amazon Premium Beauty store

Beauty brand Clinique has launched in the US Amazon Premium Beauty store as it looks to expand its consumer reach in the US. Clinique will be the first of a select few brands within The Estée Lauder Companies’ portfolio to open a storefront in the US Amazon Premium Beauty store. Estée Lauder has yet to confirm which other brands will join the...

Business

Amazon repays 1.9 million to more than 700 Saudi workers over unlawful fees

Online retailer Amazon said Friday it had paid $1.9 million to more than 700 contracted workers in Saudi Arabia as reimbursements for unlawful recruitment fees, among other alleged violations. In October, Amnesty International accused Amazon of a range of abuses against workers in the oil-rich Gulf kingdom, prompting the US-based multinational...

Fashion

Amazon Europe launches luxury resale partnership

British pre-owned designer resale company Hardly Ever Worn It (HEWI) has partnered with Amazon Europe’s Luxury Stores to offer a curated selection of pre-owned styles to Amazon customers in the UK, Germany, Spain and Italy. The collaboration introduces pre-owned designer items in women's ready-to-wear, shoes, accessories, jewelry, and watches...

Business

Amazon French warehouses unit fined 32 million euros

France's data protection agency said Tuesday it had fined Amazon's French warehouse management unit 32 million euros ($34.9 million) for an "excessively intrusive" surveillance system to monitor staff performance. Amazon France Logistique monitored the performance of employees through data from scanners used by the staff to process packages,...

Business

Amazon unleashes AI-powered sizing-focused initiatives

E-commerce marketplace Amazon has introduced a series of artificial intelligence (AI) backed initiatives to its website that look to both personalise and enhance fit features for products. Such projects look to improve customer experience while further addressing sizing challenges that come with shopping online, the company said in a blog post....

Business

Could TikTok be Amazon's new rival?

ByteDance-owned TikTok is set to expand its US e-commerce business aggressively, targeting sales of up to 17.5 billion dollars in 2024. The ambitious plan, discussed in internal meetings according to news outlet South China Morning Post, positions TikTok as a formidable competitor against major players such as Amazon, Shein, and Temu. Leveraging...

Business

EU court rejects Brussels appeal over Amazon tax ruling

Brussels - A top EU court rejected Thursday Brussels' appeal against a ruling blocking its bid to force Luxembourg to recover 25 million euros (272 million dollars) in back taxes from Amazon. The ruling, the final word in the case, was a blow not just to the European Commission but to the EU's competition commissioner, Margrethe Vestager. "The...